**CINCINNATI** — The Bengals will be without a vital defender for the remainder of the season.
Cornerback Dax Hill has suffered a torn ACL in his right knee, as confirmed by coach Zac Taylor on Monday.
“I’m heartbroken for him,” Taylor expressed.
Hill exited the game late in the first quarter during Sunday’s 41-38 overtime defeat against the Baltimore Ravens, which dropped the Bengals to a disappointing 1-4 record this season. He was in coverage when the injury occurred and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the match.
Selected in the first round of the 2022 draft, Hill served as the starting free safety last season but was moved to cornerback following a lackluster performance by the Bengals’ pass defense. He secured the starting position over DJ Turner, a second-round pick in 2023 who had started 12 games last year but struggled towards the end.
Hill had shown promising form in training camp and was regarded as Cincinnati’s top outside cornerback through the first four games, allowing a mere 7.2% completion rate over expectation as the nearest defender, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
“I thought Dax was playing really good football for us,” Taylor noted after the loss. “He’s worked really hard to get to that position.”
Turner stepped in as Hill’s replacement during the game against the Ravens and is now the frontrunner to assume that role going forward. He will need to help stabilize a struggling Bengals defense, which currently ranks 30th in points allowed per drive and sits second to last (31st) in defensive success rate, according to ESPN Research.